[Madison]

Your second idea is what immediately jumped into my mind, Erin.

There's not really a substitute for being able to use the software on your own when learning and getting comfortable with it, but if that's not possible, the next best thing you can do is introduce some of the concepts behind most CAD systems. Better than explaining what it means to trim or extend or constrain something in an abstract sense is getting them to begin thinking in the correct frame of mind.

I think the best skill to have when working on drafting parts is the ability to visualize things in three dimensions. If you can't first visualize what you're making, you are going to have a lot of trouble making it. So, perhaps some spatial visualization exercises are worth pursuing?

Something like that immediately jumps to mind is from the Science Olympiad -- Write It/Do It. It taught technical writing through visualization.